


Beyond Your Imperfections

by dontfindme



Category: Dae Guk Nam Ah | The Boss
Genre: AU, Angst, Drama, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-01
Updated: 2010-06-01
Packaged: 2019-10-15 01:17:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17519411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontfindme/pseuds/dontfindme
Summary: Lee Suhoon and Park Hyunchul belong to different circles, but nothing can hold them back.





	Beyond Your Imperfections

**Author's Note:**

> An old DGNA fic, written around 2010. Repost.

It's Saturday night. The seniors are having a house party at the basketball’s team captain's mansion to celebrate their first place finish at the recently-concluded tournament. Being someone who isn't blessed with luxury, it's nearly impossible for someone like Lee Suhoon to set foot on these kinds of events. But thanks to his best friend, Woo Hyunmin, who always invites him, he's able to experience the high-society life somehow. Nineteen-year-old Suhoon is from a poor family, but he's studying in one of the most prestigious high schools in Seoul due to a full scholarship. He's both one of the top students and one of the most popular because of his handsome features.

Leaning against the bar with a drink in hand, Suhoon's watches a boy dance on top of a table like there is no tomorrow with people jumping around him from the floor. He takes note of the boy's hypnotizing big, round eyes and captivating smile. He's a real beauty and anyone can mistake him for girl, especially at first glance. Completely entranced by the beautiful boy, Suhoon doesn't notice Hyunmin standing next to him. Heck, he didn't even care where his best friend had gone to the moment the arrived.

Hyunmin orders a beer from the bartender and sees Suhoon staring at the living room's direction. Curious, he follows his best friend's gaze and widens his eyes. “Oh no, no, no, Suhoon,” he says with a groan, “anyone but him!”

“Do you know him?” Suhoon asked as he reluctantly brings his eyes away from the boy.

“Everybody knows him,” Hyunmin answers, taking his drink from the bartender.

Frowning, Suhoon replies, “How come I don’t?”

“Well, you have your own little world,” Hyunmin says as he drinks his beer, “if not for me, you won’t be in places like this.”

Shrugging, Suhoon looks back at the boy and sess him dancing between two members of the basketball team. “Who is he then?” he asks.

“Park Hyunchul,” Hyunmin answers, frowning at the show the boy is putting on, “my half-brother.”

Suhoon quickly turns to Hyunmin, surprised. “I didn’t know you have a brother,” he says.

“Neither did I,” Hyunmin replies as he looks at Suhoon, “not until I was sixteen though.”

“Care to explain?” Suhoon asks, confused.

“His mother was dad's secretary,” Hyunmin tells his best friend, squinting his eyes at Hyunchul, “my parents almost divorced when my mother found out about him, especially when she learned that he was older than me by almost a month.”

Suhoon nods in understanding, and says, “Since I never saw you two together even once, it's safe to assume that you're not close.”

“I don’t even have him on my phonebook,” Hyunmin says before disappearing once again to who-knows-where, leaving Suhoon alone to digest the things he learned about his best friend and the boy he's watching.

 

* * *

 

Hyunmin drops Suhoon in his house after leaving the party around 2AM. He takes a quick shower to get the smell of smoke, alcohol, and sweat off him and goes straight to bed. Usually, he falls asleep quickly, but tonight, his mind is full of Park Hyunchul. He doesn't know why he's so interested in him. Without much of a second thought and not caring what his best friend will think of him, Suhoon decides to take his chance on the pretty boy.

Suhoon heads to Hyunmin's house that morning and sees his best fried doing some car washing. A thing he does every Sunday. Going straight to the point, he asks, “Do you know where to look for Hyunchul?”

Turning off the water hose, Hyunmin says, “You’re really serious about this, huh?”

“Yes, I am,” Suhoon answers, hoping Hyunmin will help him out.

“Okay, I don’t know where he lives and don’t expect me to ask my father about that,” Hyunmin tells his best friend as he leans against his pickup, “but if you really want to find him, start checking the police stations.”

“Police stations?” Suhoon asks, confused.

Smirking, Hyunmin says, “I heard he left with some dance troupe guys and they got into some sort of trouble.”

“Oh, okay...thanks,” Suhoon replies and bids him a quick goodbye.

Hyunmin can only sigh as he watches Suhoon leave.

 

* * *

 

 

“Park Hyunchul,” one of the police officers calls the feminine-looking boy inside the cell, “you can go now.”

Hyunchul’s head perks up and turns to the officer who’s opening the cell.

"What? You don't want to go out?" the officer barks at him.

Truthfully, Hyunchul finds him confused. This has been the fastest he got out jail. His father can be very unforgiving. Getting up from his spot on the floor, Hyunchul follows the officer to the front desk. Like always, he signs some papers and gets his things back. After slinging his body bag on his shoulder, Hyunchul leans over the officer, and asks, “Who bailed be out?”

The officer jerks his head to the direction of entrance. Hyunchul turns around and sees a boy his age. Upon realizing who he is, Hyunchul can only curse himself under his breath before walking towards him.

"Hey," Hyunchul says.

Suhoon turned towards Hyunchul, and replies, “Hey.”

“You bailed me out?” Hyunchul asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Suhoon answers as he scratches the back of his neck.

“Follow me,” Hyunchul tells him and heads out of the police station and Suhoon does what he was told without questions.

They walk in total silence. Hyunchul’s strides are fast and Suhoon tries his best to not be left behind. He almost bumps into him when Hyunchul suddenly stops and heads to an ATM. He almost dumbly gets in behind him when he remembers that it’s not right to closely watch people get some money. Hyunchul doesn’t take long anyway. He’s soon back with Suhoon and, in one swift motion, he took his hand and put a thick wad of cash on his palm.

“What's this?” Suhoon asked, staring at the bills Hyunchul’s gave him.

“I know how much my bail costs,” Hyunchul tells him, “it’s not cheap, especially for someone like you.”

Realizing what Hyunchul’s doing, Suhoon says, “No, it’s okay, you don’t have to pay me back.”

Hyunchul scoffs, and says, "Didn’t your parents teach you not to spend money on useless things? You should know that since you’re from a poor family.”

“You’re not useless and you’re definitely not a thing,” Suhoon mutters, blushing from embarrassment.

“There’s a motel at the end of this road, we can go there if that’s the kind of payment you want,” Hyunchul tells him, casually.

“What? No!” Suhoon exclaims, eyes wide in shock at the meaning behind Hyunchul's words.

“Then what do you want?” Hyunchul asks, flailing his arms in the air in frustration, “I’m not going to owe you anything!”

Suhoon swallows and looks at Hyunchul in the eye. “Will you go out with me?” he asks, nervous.

Hyunchul bursts out laughing, and says, “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m serious!” Suhoon replies.

“Now, why would someone like you would want to go out with someone like me?” Hyunchul asks as he takes a step towards Suhoon, “Do you have any idea what kind of person am I? Do you even know where I got that money in your hands?”

“From your...father?” Suhoon answered, uncertain.

Hyunchul shakes his head, and says, “You’re Hyunmin’s best friend. I’m pretty sure he already told you some bits about me before you came up to me like this. My father won’t even want to bail me out. What makes you think he’ll give me money freely? If there’s a person that my father gives money to, that’s my mother, who gambles them all. I don’t ask money from them. I live for myself. I work for myself.”

“Then the more reason I shouldn’t accept this money,” Suhoon tells him, extending the bills back to Hyunchul.

“Why? Didn’t you work hard for the money that you spent for my bail?” Hyunchul asks, stepping back, “You see, unlike you, I can earn that back easily. I can even double that amount in just one night.”

Curious, Suhoon replies, “What do you exactly do for a living?”

Hyunchul grins. “I don’t know,” he says as he stands by the edge of the pavement to raise a hand, “why don’t you figure it out?”

Suhoon is about to say something when a cab stops by Hyunchul and all he can do is watch Hyunchul get inside the vehicle, leaving him behind.

 

* * *

 

 

“Is your brother a prostitute?” Suhoon asks the moment Hyunmin opened his bedroom door for him.

“Well, hey there, too,” Hyunmin replies as he lets Suhoon inside, “don’t tell me you’re surprise.”

Suhoon settles on one of the beanbags and stares at Hyunmin, perplexed.

“He doesn’t work in a prostitute house though,” Hyunmin adds, tossing a can of soda to Suhoon from his personal cooler, “he just goes to clubs, flirts with random people, and lets them take him away.”

"I thought you don’t know much about him," Suhoon says.

“It’s not like whatever he does is a secret,” Hyunmin tells him as he opens his soda, “I don’t want anything to do with him, but he’s still my half-brother, so my ears still perk up when people talk about him.”

 

* * *

 

 

A series of gentle knocks are heard inside the small apartment where Hyunchul lives, making him groan in irritation. It’s already late in the afternoon and he just woke up to catch up on the sleep he didn’t get the night before. And he’s planning to get more of it until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, the knocking doesn’t let him.

Getting up from his bed, he makes a beeline out of his room to the front door in his pajamas. Not caring that his hair is all over the place and his feet are bare of any footwear, he opens the door violently and hopes that his annoyance is obvious in his face. However, upon seeing the unwanted visitor, his sleepy eyes can’t help but widen in shock. “How did you know where I live?” he asks, demanding.

Suhoon smirks, and says, “From the police station. You gave them your address, so here I am.”

Frustrated, Hyunchul asks, “What do you want?”

“I already told you this morning, I want you to go out with me,” Suhoon answers with a smile, “by the way, you don’t have to worry, I already know what you do for a living.”

Sighing in defeat, Hyunchul further opens the door and lets Suhoon in. “Are we going now?” Hyunchul asks as he clears the mess from the sofa to give Suhoon a space to sit.

“Not really,” Suhoon told Hyunchul, watching Hyunchul try to make their living room presentable.

“No, let’s get this over with,” Hyunchul tells him, straightening himself up, “wait here.”

Nodding, Suhoon takes a sit as Hyunchul disappears in his room. He’s certain he heard him complaining about staying at home for once and can’t help but smile in amusement. After almost an hour, they two of them are already out of the house. Hyunchul locks the apartment and they head out to the street. Suhoon, then, holds out his hand to Hyunchul.

Hyunchul smirks, and says, “There’s no way I’m going to hold your hand.”

“Suit yourself,” Suhoon replies with a grin as he suddenly puts his arm around Hyunchul’s shoulder.

Caught off guard, Hyunchul pushes Suhoon away, but the boy just tightens his hold.

 

* * *

 

 

“What are we doing here?” Hyunchul asks, looking out of their cab that just made a full stop in front of an amusement park.

“We’re here to have some fun,” Suhoon answers with a brightest smile after paying the driver, “Let’s go!”

Sighing, Hyunchul follows the boy out of the cab and to the ticketing booth where Suhoon smoothly bought their tickets without any complains from him. The place is packed with people - kids, parents, couples, teens, and many more. Hyunchul swallows and slides his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, overwhelmed with the atmosphere of his surroundings.

“Where should we go?” Suhoon asks them as they finally steps inside the park.

“What?” Hyunchul asks, startled, and Suhoon repeats the questions, “Oh, anywhere you want. I don’t care.”

Shrugging, Suhoon picks the rollercoaster first. They stand in line and Hyunchul has to double his efforts to tame down his anxiety.

“You’re not scared, are you?” Suhoon says, looking at Hyunchul in worry.

“Of course, not,” Hyunchul answers, too quick to be calm. No, he’s not scared of rollercoasters or any other extreme rides in the amusement park. His discomfort runs deeper than that. So deep that Suhoon has to push him to sit on the rollercoaster and make sure that he’s totally secured in his place. The gesture pulls Hyunchul out of his frozen state, making him stare at Suhoon.

Suhoon looks at him with a smile, says, “Loosen up. Have some fun.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hyunchul isn’t sure if it was the rollercoaster or Suhoon’s words, but he finds himself enjoying the night. After the rollercoaster, they head to other extreme rides there is in the park. It’s only after the sixth attraction that they decide to grab some food from the stalls and eat dinner in silence.

“Enjoying the night?” Suhoon asks as he takes a sip from his iced tea.

Debating whether he should be honest or not, Hyunchul takes his time before nodding.

Suhoon smiles, happy to see this side of Hyunchul. “Where to next?” he says, finishing his burger.  
“Hmmm,” Hyunchul looks around to get some ideas until something catches his eye, “that one.”

Suhoon turns to the ride Hyunchul pointed at and finds himself surprised. He’s thinking Hyunchul will choose another extreme ride since he seems to be enjoying them not a merry-go-round. Still, Suhoon is secretly thankful of Hyunchul’s choice. He is certain that he will definitely throw up if they take on another death-defying attraction after consuming his burger.

After finishing their snacks, the two head to the merry-go-round. They don’t have to wait long as there’s just a short line. Hyunchul settles on a white horse while Suhoon just stands beside him.

“Not going to ride a horse?” Hyunchul asks.

“Nah, I think I’m too old for this,” Suhoon answers, grinning.

“Oh, so you think I’m childish?” Hyunchul says and raises an eyebrow.

Suhoon shakes his head quickly, and replies, “Of course not, I think you’re cute.”

Hyunchul opens his mouth to argue at Suhoon’s comment when the merry-go-round suddenly starts turning. Suhoon almost loses his balance. In panic, he wraps one of his hands on the while placing the other on Hyunchul’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Hyunchul says as he watches Suhoon steady in his position.

Surprised, Suhoon looks at Hyunchul and finds that the other boys is flashing him a smile. He sweats his heart melted at that moment.

“This is the most fun I’ve had since I stepped in high school...” Hyunchul adds, turning to the front, “when I was a kid, appa took me a lot to these kinds of places and would accompany me on a merry-go-round just like what you’re doing now, but things changed when his wife found out about me and umma...”

Suhoon slides his hand down the pole to reach Hyunchul’s, and says, “I’m glad you’re having a good time tonight.”

“Will this be the last time?” Hyunchul asks, looking at him with expectant eyes.

“That depends on you,” Suhoon tells him, smiling.

Hyunchul returns the smile, and says, “I want to do this again.”

Nodding, Suhoon guides his other hand to the back of Hyunchul’s head to slowly pull it towards his direction and kisses him on top of his head.

 

* * *

 

 

It doesn’t take long for Hyunchul to agree to be Suhoon’s boyfriend and Suhoon can’t be any happier. Hyunmin also just learns to accept that his best friend is head-over-heels in love with his half-brother. However, Hyunchul realizes that things aren’t going to be as easy as he has expected.

The knowledge of their relationship got people talking. Hyunchul knows what the whispers are about. They can’t believe that Suhoon, one of the top students, will go out with someone like Hyunchul, someone who spends more time outside school than in it. Hyunchul never cared about his reputation at school, but he never cared about it before. But for Suhoon’s sake, he decided to straighten himself out. He attended all his classes, studies for his quizzes, handed all his homework, and participated in class.

However, all his efforts just came crashing down in the middle of the fifth week of his good performance.

Hyunchul steps inside his building and freezes. Photos of him with two boys with blurred faces are plastered on the corridor walls, greeting him. He quickly feels his surroundings spin. No space was left empty. His chest tightens. He knows those photos. He knows the other boys with him on the photos despite their blurred faces. He wants to move. He wants to tear down the photos off the walls. However, he remains on his spot. Completely lost.

A girl suddenly comes up to him, breaking into his thoughts. “Why don’t you check out what’s being showed at the auditorium?” she says with a smirk on her face.

Finally having the urge to move, Hyunchul turns to his heels to head to the auditorium only to bump into Hyunmin.

“Don’t,” his half-brother says and Hyunchul sees a DVD in Hyunmin’s hands.

Hyunchul doesn’t need to be as smart as Suhoon to know what’s in the DVD. He remembers that night completely. After leaving the party where Suhoon first saw him. Before he ended up in the police station. He’s very much sure of what the school population had just watched. Unable to deal with the situation, Hyunchul looks up to Hyunmin. “Please tell Suhoon that I’m sorry,” he says, walking past him to save whatever it is that’s left of him.

 

* * *

 

 

Hyunmin tells Suhoon everything that happened. Worried about Hyunchul, Suhoon skips all his classes for the first time by making a lame excuse about not feeling well enough to stay in class to see Hyunchul. However, the boy doesn’t answer any of his calls or show up in school the next day.

On the third day of his absence, Suhoon goes to Hyunchul’s house to check on him only to meet his mother. He doesn’t let it discouraged him though, so he keeps on dropping by the apartment without any luck. However, after two weeks, Suhoon has finally lost his optimism.

Getting fed up with everything, Hyunmin decides to take the matter in his own hands.

“Let’s get this over with,” Hyunmin says as he pulls his best friend out of the bed, “change your clothes, we’re going to look for him.”

“How are we going to that?” Suhoon asks as he watches Hyunmin go over his closet.

“I don’t know but I don’t care,” Hyunmin answers, throwing a shirt and a pair of jeans at Suhoon, “if we need search every corner of the city just to find him, then so be it.”

 

* * *

 

 

After an hour, they arrive at the biggest hotspots of the city’s nightlife. Hyunmin parks his pickup at the first empty space he finds and suggests that the two of them should split up to cover the area better.

It’s Saturday. The place is packed with cars and people. Music is blasting from all direction. Hyunmin almost thinks that doing the search at that moment is the worst idea if he didn’t suddenly finds himself looking at his half-brother eye-to-eye. Upon realizing who’s standing before him, Hyunmin hurriedly approaches Hyunchul. However, the boy quickly turns away and breaks into a run.

“Damn it,” Hyunmin curses and chases after Hyunchul.

Being a soccer varsity that he is, Hyunmin catches up with Hyunchul easily despite the thick crowd and grabs the boy’s arm to stop him from going anywhere.

“Let me go!” Hyunchul screams, pulling his arm from his half-brother’s grasp.

“No!” Hyunmin replies and tightens his grip on Hyunchul’s arm.

Giving up, Hyunchul asks, “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to talk to Suhoon,” Hyunmin tells him.

“There’s nothing else to talk about,” Hyunchul says, sharply, “we’re done.”

“Just like that, huh?” Hyunmin says as he shakes Hyunchul by shoulders, “Suhoon may have known you that long yet, but he really loves you!”

“Well, I don’t!” Hyunchul shouts back, looking away.

“Look at me and say that again,” Hyunmin says, knowing that the other’s just lying, “or better yet, say it to Suhoon directly.”

Hyunchul fishes out his cellphone from his pocket and calls Suhoon. He tells his best friend to meet him right away by his pickup and drags his half-brother with him despite his protests.

 

* * *

 

 

Suhoon is already leaning against the vehicle when they arrive. He’s so overwhelmed with seeing Hyunchul once again that he instantly pulls the boy to his embrace. However, Hyunchul immediately pushes him away.

“Hyunchul, what’s wrong?” Suhoon asks, confused.

“What’s wrong?” Hyunchul says, glancing at his half-brother for a second before looking straight at Suhoon, “I’m done with this. I’m done with you. It’s wrong for us to be together, so just stop!”

“I don’t understand...” Suhoon replies.

“Can’t you see? Compare yourself to me!” Hyunchul tells him, exasperated, “You’re smart, I’m not! You have a good life ahead of you, I don’t This isn’t going to work out, so just leave and go back to the life you have before you put me in it!” he adds and turns back to walk away.

Not letting Hyunchul go that easily, Suhoon blocks Hyunchul’s way, and says, “I don’t care if you can’t straighten your life. I’ll just mess up my own if that’s what it takes to be with you.”

Hyunchul scoffs and glares at Suhoon. “Get real, Suhoon, things doesn’t go easily like that,” he tells him.

Sensing that there’s no talking Hyunchul out of it, he says, “I love you.”

“That’s too bad, Suhoon,” Hyunchul replies and takes a deep breath, “I don’t.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hyunchul buries his face against his pillows and cries. It’s been the case since he broke up with Suhoon a couple of days ago and he can still remember their last encounter. He can’t help but curse himself every time the look of Suhoon’s face when he told him he doesn’t love him kept on flashing in his head.

Hyunchul doesn’t show himself to school once again. However, unlike the past week, he doesn’t even bother to leave his bedroom for most time of the day. Noticing her son’s behavior, Hyunchul’s mother finally decides to talk to him on one mornings that she isn’t suffering from any hangover. She’s been wanting to talk to him since a boy named Suhoon stopped by their house almost everyday a week ago, but couldn’t get a chance as Hyunchul spent most of his days outside. She knows she hasn’t been a good mother to Hyunchul, but she feels so lost because of her son’s father that she can’t help but do stupid things. However, seeing Hyunchul not being his usual feisty self and hearing him cry almost every day definitely effected on her.

Not bothering to knock, Ms. Park opens the door to her son’s room and just sees a huge lump on the bed. Still, she can hear the sniffs beneath the blanket. Sighing, Ms. Park steps inside and sits by the bed, and asks, “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

Shocked that his mother has approached him like this, Hyunchul holds back his sobs to listen.

“I know I’m an awful mother, Hyunchul,” Ms. Park says as she puts a hand on what seems to be Hyunchul’s shoulder, “I made our life into a living hell...doing stupid things and neglecting you...” she adds, tightening her grip, “I didn’t even do anything even after finding out what you’ve been doing every time you’re out of the house...I’m sorry...”

Slowly, Hyunchul pulls the blanket off his face and looks at his mother. “What are you talking about?” he asks despite knowing what she means.

Ms. Park smiles bitterly, and says, “I’ve known it for a year already, Hyunchul. It’s around the time when your father stopped seeing you and giving us money because his wife found out about us. He was the first to know about it actually after his son told him that...that you slept with one of his teammates...so you could enroll for the next semester...That’s why he started assisting us financially again, so that you won’t have to do that anymore...but I – I –”

Hyunchul sits up and hugs his mother. “It’s alright, umma, don’t say anything anymore...” he says as he rubs soothing circles on his mother’s back.

Crying, Ms. Park returns the embrace, and replies, “I’m so sorry, Hyunchul...if it weren’t for me...can you please not do it anymore? I - I’ll change, I’ll be a good mother...just don’t do it anymore...”

Hyunchul nods and breaks away from his mother’s hold. For the first time in weeks, he finds himself smiling again. It’s been a long time since he hugged his mother like that after all.

“Now, tell me what’s wrong, Hyunchul,” Ms. Park says, wiping away the tears from her and Hyunchul’s face, “last week, a handsome boy has been coming here every day, looking for you, but I don’t see him anymore and you’re here, locked up inside your room...what’s going on, Hyunchul? Who’s he?”

“No one, umma, just a no one...” Hyunchul answers as he looks away from his mother.

“For a no one, he sure wants to see you so bad...” Ms. Park says with a smile, “at first, I thought he was one of your...you know...but the next time I saw him, I could see that he’s a pretty decent young man...” she adds as she recalls how Suhoon asked her about Hyunchul, “he seemed so worried about you...I can tell he cares about you very much...”

Another batch of tears wells up in Hyunchul’s eyes and he quickly rubs them away with the back of his hand. “Does he really, umma?” he asks as he starts to shake while holding down his sobs.

“Yes,” Ms. Park answers, pulling Hyunchul towards her and to let him cry on her shoulder, “is that person someone that Hyunchul loves?”

Clinging onto his mother, Hyunchul nods and cries harder. “I love him so much, umma,” he says, feeling his heart breaking, “but I told him that I don’t even after he said that he loves me...I made him go away...I made him leave me...” he adds, remembering the hurt on Suhoon’s face once again, “he’s smart, good...he’s Hyunmin’s best friend...he’s perfect, umma, he doesn’t deserve someone like me...it’s the right thing to do...but why does it feels so wrong?”

Ms. Park embraces his son once more, and says, “Maybe because it is. Hyunchul, no one in this world is perfect. Maybe he’s nothing like you, but he definitely has flaws too. Maybe you’re just too focused on your imperfections that you failed to see it.”

“What should I do, umma?” Hyunchul asks, feeling better now than he has been for days.

“Talk to him and tell him everything you feel,” Ms. Park answers, happy that she was able to reach out to her son.

“Easier said than done, umma,” Hyunchul said as he straightens himself up, “I don’t even know where he lives.”

Ms. Park laughs, making her son laugh too. “You silly boy, how could you not know where your boyfriend lives!” she says as she shakes her head, “Good thing you have a bother because I bet he knows.”

 

* * *

 

 

Hyunchul finds himself sitting uncomfortably in his father’s living room that afternoon. It’s his first time setting foot inside his father’s house and he can’t help but look around the expensive furniture, decorations, and interiors that almost makes him feel envious of his half-brother when the said boy suddenly appears.

“How did you know where I live?” Hyunmin asks from the top of the elegant staircase.

Standing from where he is sitting, Hyunchul answers, “My mother gave me your address.”

“What are you doing here?” Hyunmin replies as he stands before Hyunchul,  
  
“I was hoping if you can tell me where I can find Suhoon...” Hyunchul tells him, biting his lip.

Hyunmin scoffs and puts his hands on his waist. He remembers Suhoon asking the same thing more than a month ago. "What do you want from him?” he says.

“I want to talk to him…” Hyunchul says as he squeezes the strap of his sling bag, “to take back all the things I said...”

“You finally realized how stupid you were?” Hyunmin retorts, smirking at Hyunchul.

Hyunchul nods, feeling intimidated by the look Hyunmin’s giving him.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to him,” Hyunmin says and leads his half-brother out of the house and into the garage.

Hyunchul uneasily stands in front of his half-brother’s pickup.

Noticing Hyunchul’s discomfort, Hyunmin says, “What’s the matter? Isn’t hitching in random people’s cars your thing?”

Hyunchul swallows, not knowing what to say. Even though Hyunmin’s right, he can’t deny that his half-brother’s words sting a lot.

Feeling guilty, Hyunmin walks over to the side of the passenger’s seat and opens the car door for Hyunchul. “Going to Suhoon’s place may take an hour or more,” he tells his half-brother, motioning him to get in, “could you loosen up? It’s hard to drive in a tensed atmosphere.”

Hyunchul mutters an apology and gets inside the car. When Hyunmin got in the driver’s seat, Hyunchul says, “You really don’t have to drive me there. You can just give me his address and I’ll go there myself...I’ve already bothered you enough anyway by just coming here...”

Pretending not to have heard anything, Hyunmin turns to Hyunchul, and says, “I’ve already talked to appa, he said he’ll take care of everything that happened at school two weeks ago...”

Hyunchul widens his eyes, speechless.

“Just make sure that you’re going to make things right from now on,” Hyunmin adds as he starts the engine.

Giving a little smile, Hyunchul replies, “I won’t mess things up this time, I promise.”

“I hope you enjoy some American R&B music,” Hyunmin says, putting a CD in the car’s radio before driving out of the garage.

To ease the awkwardness between them, Hyunmin initiates a conversation starting from Hyunchul’s mother, his life at home, and childhood. He’s glad that Hyunchul somehow eases himself around him. In no time, Hyunchul is already the one taking charge of their conversation by animatedly telling some random stories that make him laugh. He admits that sitting alone with Hyunchul’s a good thing as he got to know his half-brother without thinking about him being an illegitimate child and some other things that make him look at Hyunchul in a bad light.

“We’re here,” Hyunmin says as he slows down the car in front of small bungalow, “let’s go.”

Hyunchul feels his heart quicken its pace as he gets out of the car with Hyunmin.

Noticing how nervous Hyunchul is, Hyunmin grabs his hand and leads him to the house. “Relax, everything will be fine,” he says before opening the gates.

Hyunchul nods and forces out a smile.

“Hyunmin, is that you?” a voice of a middle-aged woman greets them.

Turning to the direction of the voice, Hyunmin walks to side of the yard with Hyunchul behind him and finds a woman is doing the laundry. “Good morning, Mrs. Lee,” Hyunmin says Suhoon’s mother with a bright smile, “is Suhoon here?”

“Yes, he is,” Mrs. Lee answers and calls Suhoon’s name as loud as she could, “you know he doesn’t leave the house that much unless you drag him out...and who’s the pretty little thing standing behind you? Is she your girlfriend?” she asks as she notices Hyunchul.

Hyunmin laughs while Hyunchul blushes. “No, Mrs. Lee,” he answers as he lets go of Hyunchul’s hand and steps aside so Mrs. Lee can take a proper look at Hyunchul, “he’s my half-brother.”

Hyunchul makes a squick bow, and says, “My name’s Park Hyunchul, Mrs. Lee. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Lee says, embarrassed, “I thought you were a girl and you two looked so good together.”

Laughing again, Hyunmin says, “Don’t let Suhoon hear that, Mrs. Lee, he won’t like It.”

Confused, Mrs. Lee asks, “What do you mean?”

Before Hyunmin can say anything, Suhoon appears by the screen door, asking, “What is it, umma?”

“Your friends are here,” Mrs. Lee tells him, forgetting what Hyunmin is about to tell him.

“Hey, you’re there!” Hyunmin says, smiling widely at his best friend.

Suhoon freezes on his spot as he sees Hyunchul standing beside Hyunmin. “Is there I can help you with?” he asks.

“Hyunchul wants to talk to you,” Hyunmin tells him, slightly pushing Hyunchul forward.

Nodding, Suhoon opens the door, and says, “Come in.”

“Great!” Hyunmin says, clapping his hands, “I’ll leave him to you then.”

Hyunchul’s about to protest when Suhoon says, “Sure, I’ll take care of him.”

“Good, I’ll strangle you if you don’t,” Hyunmin replies, making Suhoon stare at him in confusion. Just a month ago, his best friend didn’t want anything to do with Hyunchul then, all of the sudden, he’s playing the role of an overprotective brother.

Hyunchul’s also surprised at what Hyunmin just said and he can’t help but smile at him. “Thank you,” he tells his half-brother.

Hyunmin pats Hyunchul at the back and gestures him to follow Suhoon inside the house before leaving. Gripping the strap of his sling bag once again, Hyunchul walks towards Suhoon and follows him all the way to his room.

Once inside, Suhoon closes the door and looks around. He mutters a curse when he sees that the only chair he has is filled with various books. “Just sit at the bed,” he tells Hyunchul.

Hyunchul nods and does what he was told. “Thank you for still letting me talk to you,” he says.

“What do you want to talk about?” Suhoon asks as he sits beside Hyunchul.

Taking a deep breath, Hyunchul opens his mouth and tries his best to remember all the things he intended to say. “I-I don’t know what you saw in me…” he starts, staring at the floor, “I’m such a huge mess, a big mistake. No one wanted me...until you came…” he continues as he swallows the lump in his throat, “to others, I’m just a thing – a toy – that they can use...I’m broken and beyond repair...I don’t know how to pick myself up anymore...”

Suhoon just stares at Hyunchul as he talks. He wants to tell him to stop. That he doesn’t need his explanation. However, he can feel that Hyunchul needs to let all this out.

“But then you came and treated me as if I’m so perfect...you didn’t even care about what I do,” Hyunchul adds with tears falling from his eyes, “I tried to change myself for you... but I should’ve known that I can’t easily erase who I really am...I was a stupid for believing that I can run away from the life I’ve lived for the last three years...I got scared that you’d leave me, so I ran away to save myself from the hurt I’ll feel if you really did that...I didn’t want to hear you telling me that you don’t want me anymore…”

Not bearing to do nothing anymore, Suhoon reaches out for Hyunchul’s hands and cover them with his.

Hyunchul smiles, and says, “But I was wrong...you looked for me and even told me that you’re ready to give up the kind of life you have just to be with me...you also told me you love me...it hurts so much, Suhoon, because I don’t think you deserve someone like me...I lied when I said that I don’t love you and the look on your face really killed me, but I’m not stupid enough to pull you down with so I walked away...I thought I did the right thing...but it still hurts so much...”

Finally, Suhoon wraps Hyunchul in his arms, making him cry harder. “I didn’t waste my time getting into your life just so I can push you away…” he says, tightening his arms around Hyunchul, “I don’t care what kind of person you are, about your flaws, and what other people think or say about you...all I know that I love you and you’re the most perfect person in my eyes.”

Pulling himself from Suhoon’s embrace, Hyunchul says, “Thank you for loving me like this...I love you too.”

“Thank you,” Suhoon replies, leaning forward to capture Hyunchul’s lips in a kiss.

 

* * *

 

END

 

* * *

 


End file.
